“Need help?”
I woke before sunrise.
“I raised six girls,” I said. “You’d think I could handle fabric by now.”
He straightened the knot. “You handled the hard part. Today is about Adele. But I know what it took to get her here.”
I had to blink back tears.
“Take care of her.”
“I will.”
The door swung open, and Lucille stormed in like she was walking into a battle.
“I raised six girls.”
“If Maya makes a scene,” she said, “I’m walking outside before I say something I can’t take back.”
Behind her, Shannon stepped in wearing a soft blue dress, fidgeting with her bracelet.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Do I have to hug her?”
The room fell silent.
I rested both hands on her shoulders. “No. Nobody gets a hug just because they share blood.”
“Do I have to hug her?”
Her shoulders relaxed. “Okay.”
Piper kept checking whether everyone had eaten, a sure sign she hadn’t.
